Suction cleaner



y 1935. I D. G. SMELLIE 2,008,371

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Sept. 18, 1955 INVENTOR Donald G. .S'meI/zb ATTORNEY Patented July 16, 1935 UNITED STATES sUC'rIon' CLEANER Donald G. Smellie, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio t.

Application September 1a, 1933, Serial No. 689,809

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general, and more particularly to a new and improved rotary agitator for a suction clean- More specifically, the invention comprises the provision of a rotary agitator for a suction elements extend parallel to and betweenrows of closely adjacent brushing elements. Still another object is theprovision, in a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, of resilient means to deliver an initial impulse to the surface covering undergoing cleaning; of rigid beating means to deliver a second and more forceful beating impulse to the surface covering, and third means which are resilient and which will deliver a final brushing action to the, surface covering, the three impulses being effective substantially simultaneously on the same portion of the surface covering. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims, and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to'which they relate.

In the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed;

Figure 1 is a side view of a modern suction cleaner, shown partly in section, with an agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention embodied therein;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a rotary agitator constructed in acordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is a view taken at substantially right angles to the view of Figure 2, or upon the section line 33 of Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a section upon the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section upon the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a partial section upon the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

In Figure 1 of the drawing a modern suction cleaner is shown as comprising a nozzle I, a fan chamber 2 which is interiorly connected to the nozzle by an air passageway 3, and an exhaust outlet 4. A motor casing 5 is positioned immediately above the fan chamber 2 and'houses an unshown driving motor for the suction-creating fan 6.- In the cleaner operation the fan6 creates a reduced pressure which is effective to draw cleaning air between the nozzle lips I and 8,

through the nozzle I, the air passagewa y 3,

through the fan chamber 2, and exhaust it through the outlet 4 into the removable dust bag 9. .TIhe cleaner is movably supported upon front and rear wheels I0 and II only one of each pair being shown, and there is. provided a pivoted handle I2 by which the operator may exert a propelling force. The nozzle lips I and 8 are carried above the plane of the supporting surface by the wheels at such position that the-reduced pressure within the nozzle I is efiective to lift the surface covering undergoing cleaning from the supporting surface and into contact therewith,

Within the nozzle I rotatably supported uponits through-supporting shaft I 5 and'driven by the belt I6, is the agitator Il constructed in accordance with the present invention. Agitator I1 comprises a cylindrical body which is provided substantially midway of its length with areduced portion I8 which seats the driving belt I6 and functions as a pulley. End cups I9 at the ends of the agitator body enclose bearings. 20 and rotatablyseat the agitator upon the shaft I5 which is itself removably carried within the end walls of the nozzle I in any suitable manner. As in the usual agitator of improved design a stationary thread guardmember 2| is carried by the shaft I5 adjacent the end of the cylindrical body and functions to prevent the accumulation. of foreign matter such as dirt and hair about the supporting bearing 20.

Upon the opposite sides of the pulley I8 and extending longitudinally of the-agitator is a beater element 25 rigidlycarried by the body and extended. above the normalsurface thereof. In the rotation of the agitator ,within the nozzle I the surface covering is'lifted by the nozzle suction, as above described, and is contacted by the beater element 25 which imparts a positive beating blow thereto for the purpose of dislocating and break 25 are brush seats 26, 26 positioned within the normal periphery of the agitator body and adapted to removably seat the brushes 21, 21 each of which comprises flexible bristles mounted in a rigid back. The brushes 21, 21 are seated within element 25 thereabove. As is clearly seen in the drawing, the brushes 21, 21 are positioned closely adjacent to' the beater element 25 upon the opposite sides thereof and extend parallel thereto for I substantially its entire length.

In the operation of this improved agitator, the rotation of the agitator is. in a given direction within the nozzle, preferably as indicated in- Fig-. ure 1 of the drawing. One -of the brushes will become the leading surface-contacting element, the rigid beater element will become the intermediate surface-contacting element, and the second brush element will become the trailing or rear surface-contacting element. The surface covering is lifted within the nozzle mouth between the lips I and 8 thereof and within the path described by, the surface-contacting elements. Upon each complete rotation of the agitator, all three of the elements will contact the covering. The first contact is made by a brush element which, through being flexible, flexes somewhat and, while brushing the surface covering, delivers an initial impulse downwardly and initiates the movement of the covering in that direction.' Immediately following the contact of this leading surface-contacting element, the intermediate rigid beating element contacts therewith and delivers'a second impulse which is substantially stronger due to the differences in characteristics of the two elements. Because of the fact, however, that the surface covering had initially started its movement downward, the noise of contact of thisseeond rigid beating element is substantially lessened. Immediately following the contact of the rigid beating element, the trailing brush element contacts with the surface covering and as the covering moves to its initial position, this element imparts a brushing impulse thereto. The result of the cooperation of th three beating elements in the navel manner described is effective cleaning with a minimum of elongated brush seats formed in said body upon the opposite sides of said element and closely adjacent thereto, and brushes removably positioned in said seats and extend radially beyond said, body to a height substantially equal to the height of said beater element thereabove, said beater element and said brushes being the only agitating elements in any single transverse cross-section thru said agitator.

2. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner of the type adapted to lift the surface covering undergoing cleaning from the supporting surface, a smooth cylindrical body uninterrupted except by a resilient beater element arranged to deliver an initial impulse downwardly to the covering-,a rigid beater element arranged to deliver a.sse'co nd impulse downwardly to the same portion' of "the covering, and a second resilient beater eamem' arranged to deliver a third impulse downwardly to the same portion of the covering, thesaid elements being so arranged that the impulses are delivered substantially simultaneously.

3. In a rotary agitator for a suction-cleaner, a rigid beater, flexible brushes closely adjacent both sides of said rigid beater and extended to substantially the same radial distance as said element, therebeing no other surface-contacting elements in a transverse plane thru said agitator at said beater and brushes.

4. ma rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, an elongated longitudinally extending brush, an elongated longitudinally extending rigid agitating element positioned immediately adjacent said brush, and a second elongated longitudinally extending brush positioned immediately adjacent said rigid element, upon the opposite side thereof, means mounting said brushes and element for rotation about a longitudinal axis characterized in that the surface of the body of said agitator is uninterrupted forward of the leading brush to permit of the displacement of a surface covering within the radius of said brush.

' DONALD G. SMELLIE. 

